Humpback Whale - description, habitat, lifestyle

Under the humpback whale is meant a large-sized representative of the detachment, which is distinguished by its external data. It is almost impossible to confuse with other inhabitants of the water depths, especially if you study all the characteristics in order. In today's material we will consider the important aspects affecting not only the description, but also the habitat of whales. You can form your own opinion about these bands.

Description

1. The body format is like a drop. It is compacted and slightly flattened at the top and bottom. The head is huge and weighted, the front part stands out particularly. The tail is compressed from the sides. Females in their overall characteristics are slightly larger than males, they can grow up to 14.5 m. Individual male gender reaches about 13.5 m., This is their average value.
2. There were overgrown whales, which were stretched to the body to 17.5 m. However, this is rather an exception to the rules.Weight category ranges from 30 tons, from which from 4 to 6 tons is fatty tissue. These members of the squad are distinguished by the largest accumulation of subcutaneous fat after blue whales. They also act as champions among themselves similar in overall characteristics.
3. As for the fins, they do not stand out from those of other individuals. The fin on the back is not too large, it is set low, it is about 40 cm in height. However, it is compact and massive, slightly moving to the back of the body. Looking at these individuals from the side, it seems that the posterior fin section resembles a sickle. While the front edge is smoothed. There is a notch in the middle, so it may seem that the whales are humpback. Actually for this reason they got their name.
4. The fin of the tail is extended and huge, with notches of different sizes along the edges. When an individual dives, he lifts his tail high, which distinguishes it from the rest. After all, all the other whales are trying not to show the tail. The fins in the region of the sternum are very long; they occupy more than 30% of the total length of the body.Therefore, these detachment representatives are otherwise called long-armed whales. In the anterior section, the fins on the sternum are not too even, but thick, with the presence of tubercles. There are 10 protrusions on each of the tubercles.
5. Species of the species under discussion are very maneuverable. Experts examining their body structure and habits, came to the conclusion that these fins became so long due to evolution. Whales adapt to living in a certain area, due to which fins play the role of thermoregulation. As for the head, it is huge, occupying about 30% of the body. Skull oblate, cheekbones clearly stand out, well delineated. The snout has a rounded shape, which is pushed forward in front of it.
6. On the head there are some growths, elongated in structure. They originate in the area of ​​the snout, stretching down to the breath. As a rule, these growths are in the tens. In the middle section of the head there are about 7, 5–15 are seen along the lateral parts, the same number is observed in the lower jaw area. And in the middle there is an excrescence sole and large enough with an irregular shape.
7. By warts is meant the interweaving of hair follicles that were inherited by whales from their ancestors living on land. As a rule, about 1-2 hairs grow from each follicle. These grooves for each representative species look individually. In the region of the peritoneum and throat, longitudinal grooves are also observed. They are deep and wide, there are about 20 of them.

Color

1. The pigmentation of the body in each individual is different, so experts can easily identify a particular whale while observing the group. The back and sides of the body are usually black, dark gray, brownish or gray. They are always darker than other individuals. The rib cage and the beginning of the abdomen are pigmented either whitish or off-white, but may be black or speckled.
2. The fins in the region of the sternum are colored white or black, their lower part is lightened, and the upper part is darkened. As for the tail fin type, they are dark, spotty, light or dotted. In order to conduct research and observations, pigmentation from the lower part of the tail fins is taken into account.
3. It is impossible to call these whales high-speed, for example, as individuals of blyuval (relatives). They can hardly reach speeds of 10 kilometers per hour, but there are also those that accelerate to 15 kilometers per hour. Partly because of this, the skin suffers, the body is enveloped by parasitic creatures, individuals die faster than themselves due to diseases.
4. There are a lot of pests on the body, such as whale lice, copepods, sea ducks, etc. These creatures attack the neck area and other parts of the body. To get rid of them, the inhabitants of the water space have to jump out of the water vertically with frequent frequency.

Habitat

1. It is worth noting that many decades ago, the represented individuals lived in large colonies in various seas and oceans. Such whales were even found in the Baltic and Mediterranean. Individuals were found in the Gulf of Finland. Today, whales remain cosmopolitan, but the population is extremely reduced.
2. Such individuals are found in all places of the world ocean. Scientists have divided the whales in question into 3 huge populations.Each of them forms large individual herds. Many of them migrate every year. The whales that inhabit the North Atlantic form 2 huge herds.
3. Those who live in the Western part, often migrate from the shores of Iceland, New England and Greenland to the coast of South America and the Caribbean islands. The herd that lives in the eastern part migrates from the Barents Sea to the shores of Gabon and Cape Verde.

Lifestyle

1. The main reason for the extermination of the individuals in question was that they lived very close to the shores. They went out into the deep waters only when they were going to migrate. Such events provoked the heyday of whaling.
2. Females with their cubs always wintered near the coast. Otherwise, humpback whales do not adhere to any one territory at all. However, some individuals from year to year try to return to their usual habitats.
3. Interesting is the fact that in life represented individuals prefer to be loners. However, it is often possible to meet groups in which there are from 3 to 15 individuals. In places where there is no struggle for food and it suffices with its head, you can meet a huge population of mixed species.
4. According to scientists and observers, such animals are the most active, maneuverable and mobile among fellows. Such whales often jump out of the water and demonstrate excellent acrobatics. It is worth noting that the individuals represented are very playful, so whenever possible they frolic.
5. They are at high speed like a torpedo soar into the air from the water. With their long fins, they create a lush foam. When they roll onto their backs, they flop in the spray fonts. The considered individuals are inquisitive, besides they are not afraid of people at all. Therefore, they often appear on the surface of the water.
6. Often you can see how entire colonies are accompanied by tourist cruise liners and ships. In addition, when the whale exhales, he makes a beautiful and tall fountain out of the water. Such a sight is really difficult to convey in words. Therefore, tourists give a lot of money to swim on this route and see everything with their own eyes.

We studied one of the representatives of the striped detachment so that you could form your own opinion about humpback whales. These individuals undoubtedly stand out against the background of themselves.They are characterized by distinctive characteristics, taking into account external features. Also, these individuals have a lot of subcutaneous fat, they are attacked by parasites due to the slow speed of movement. Whales are forced to constantly jump out of water space in a vertical position in order to remove from themselves pests.

Video: Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)